Ex-addict’s wheelie bin games raid

A REFORMED heroin addict was tempted back into crime when he lost his job and stole around £10,000 of computer games and DVDs.

The 28-year-old father, along with two others, broke into Blockbusters in Quedgeley using a sledgehammer and crowbar and used a wheelie-bin to cart off some 350 console games.

Kieran McCabe of Courtfield Road, Quedgeley, pleaded guilty to burglary on November 23, 2009, when he appeared before District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai at Gloucester Magistrates’ Court this week.

Prosecuting solicitor Sharon Green said: “At 5.15am a member of the public contacted the police after noticing that the shutters at the store were open.

“When police arrived they saw that the alarm had been smashed off the wall, the wiring tampered with and the shutters forced open.

“There was an attempt to tamper with the CCTV but this failed and the film showed three figures moving at the rear of the store.

DVDs

“A wheelie bin was used to make three journeys to remove DVDs and a variety of computer games.

“A crow-bar, sledgehammer and rucksack were found and police later arrested the defendant.

“The defendant said that they had sold the games and made £500 each.

She said there was not an exact breakdown of the total cost of the stolen items but it was thought to be in the region of £10,000.

Defending solicitor Lisa Ellis said: “My client’s previous offending has been due to a heroin addiction, which he has now managed to get over.

“He got a job as a scaffolder but has been laid off.

“He has a five-year-old daughter and his partner is expecting a second child – he only agreed to take part in the burglary because he was desperate for money.”

Warning McCabe that custody could not be ruled out, the district judge adjourned the case until August 16 at Cheltenham for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

The defendant was granted unconditional bail.